By Gillian G. Gaar
The curiously titled Mythology (what is it thats mythological about Bee Gees, exactly?) serves up a variety of tracks from the 50-year career of the Gibb brothers, including not just the Bee Gees, but also the brief solo career of the youngest brother, Andy Gibb.
Each of the four CDs spotlights a different brother, an interesting way to establish the sets 81 songs. Youll see the Saturday Night Fever hits of course, as well as pre- and post-Fever hits like Jive Talkin and Tragedy. But the Bee Gees enjoyed more success outside the US both before and after Fever, and the most interesting type of this set is discovering songs from albums that hiteverywhere but here, like ESP and One, along with other tracks like Spicks and Specks (from 1966) and unusual B-sides like Sir Geoffrey Saved The World (the thumb of the 1967 World single). Though their musical fortunes may have gone up and down, the Brothers Gibb never failed to form in confident, polished performances.
The harmonizing was a great part of the Bee Gees appeal (siblings voices tend to mix together exceptionally well), and as a solo artist, Andy is not as strong a singer. The expected hits are on his disc (Shadow Dancing and (Love Is) Thicker Than Water), along with most of the songs from his 1977 debut, Flowing Rivers. Of special concern is the previously unreleased Arrow Through The Heart, recorded shortly before his death, and sounding tougher than some of his other MOR material. Maurices CD also features previously unreleased tracks, Angel of Mercy and The Bridge.
The folder has testimonials from folks who crossed paths with the brothers instead of a history (its curious to see George Martin play down his involvement in the disastrous film version of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, simply referring to it as a scene in Hollywood in which the Bee Gees were to appear). Overall, its a set thats designed to leave a general overview of the Gibbs work, with those three rarities to entice collectors.
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